Debbie Espy

Debbie Espy is an Assistant Professor in the Physical Therapy Program at Cleveland State University. She received her MSPT from Virginia Commonwealth University and her PhD in Human Movement Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her areas of clinical expertise within Physical Therapy are neuro-rehab, assistive technologies, seating and mobility, acute care, and geriatrics. Within the DPT curriculum, she teaches courses in Professional Issues, Functional Anatomy, Adult Neurological Dysfunction, and Neuro-motor Interventions. Her research interests are in the areas of motor learning, postural control and falls, and off-the-shelf technology for rehab and health, and knowledge translation for rehab technologies. Her current lines of research are in the use of video gaming as a therapeutic exercise, especially for balance, novel uses of sensor technology for movement monitoring and feedback, balance training for fall prevention, measurement of balance intensity, and the use of harnesses in motor learning for balance and mobility. She has published on topics of fall biomechanics and fall resistance training, novel use of sensor technologies for motor learning, therapeutic exercise, and safe movement monitoring, and in the use of video gaming as a therapeutic tool.